Telling stories, changing lives
by Beverley Kreul, posted March 3, 2009
Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier, and Laura Sims, professional storyteller and author of The Robe of Love: Secret Instructions from the Heart, presented readings from their books and personal stories of their lives Tuesday Feb. 18 at Jesse Auditorium.
As mother and son, Sims and Beah travel the country together telling the nation their story of overcoming the pains of a boy soldier and a peace-promoting mother.
“I have worked with trauma victims, even victims of war,” said Deborah Bell, associate professor of psychology. “Next year I plan on working with a graduate student from Sierra Leaone and I think this [event] will help me understand her background.”
Sims became a professional storyteller in 1969. At the time she was the only storyteller in New York City who spoke about African tales. To help tell her story to children she searched for a song that would present the same message as her presentations.
In November of 1996, Sims met Beah and the two formed a very close relationship. Sims helped Beah apply for a visa despite the fact that three separate countries had rejected him previously. He was finally approved in Cape D’Ivoire. Once Beah arrived in America, Sims expressed her wishes for him to attend high school and be adopted by a family. He astonished her by asking her to me his real mother.
“I was his mother, that was it,” said Sims.
The first night Beah stayed at his new home, Sims told him a bedtime story. They were surprised to find that the story being told was a story from Beah’s tribe in Africa. After thirty years of telling stories, Sims and Beah knew they were meant for each other.
Beah told the audience that his biggest moment of connection with Sims was the first time he called her his mother.
“I felt like she was my mother because she was a professional storyteller and storytelling is a very big deal in my tribe,” said Beah.
Beah described the importance of listening during his portion of the program. Children in his tribe are not allowed to speak at the dinner table because they are taught that only adults have important things to say and they, as children, should listen to their wisdom. They are also tested on their listening skills during story time. At random, children are called upon to repeat the story and if they leave out any words or hand gestures they are punished for their ignorance.
Beah said: “What comes out of your mouth should be important enough that it stays in people’s ears longer.”
Sims and Beah have created a very close relationship as mother and son. They feel as if each other were their very own teachers of peace.
